Vermilion Kingdom, Western Region
At the outskirts of the Cromwell Barony—also known as the Dukedom—a fierce battle was currently raging. On one side stood the Awakened of the Cromwell Barony: Elvin, Hans, Gordon, Celine, Nathan, and Aina, who was clad in radiant white armor.
As for their enemies? They were of Demonkind. A pair of two or more horns jutted from their heads, their skin was gray and extremely pale—so pale that their veins were visible. Their crimson eyes glinted with malevolence.
They fought as if they didn't care about their lives. Some even self-destructed in order to take down their enemies with them. It was as if they had a second life somewhere or simply didn't value their own.
Fighting such an opponent was very troublesome for the human Awakened. Deep down, they were fighting for their lives—for survival, for the people who lived behind the walls.
They were the final defense. No matter what, they must not fall!
An Awakened shouted at the top of his voice, his battle cry echoing through the clash between Demonkind and humans. He arrived before a towering demon and unleashed a powerful punch, accompanied by a gale of force that made the air sizzle!
The punch connected with the demon, whose head jerked upward, followed by a fountain of blood. The demon's world spun upside down. Even after its head thudded against the ground, its headless corpse still moved, as if possessed by a will of its own.
That Awakened stomped on the demon's head. Only after crushing it did the rest of the body fall apart.
Cole, Nathan's personal student, wiped the blood that was obscuring his vision. He spat disdainfully at the corpse before dashing further into the fray to help out.
Elsewhere on the intense battlefield—among burning structures and a massive diagonal chasm carved by a powerful attack—Rab, the bald-headed boy and one of Nox's closest friends, was also engaged in combat, his eyes burning with determination.
"Die! Die! Die!" he screamed at the top of his lungs as he smashed his shield into the demons.
From the top of the wall, the archers' arrows whistled through the air and struck the heads of the demons with monstrous precision. Though the Cromwell Barony was holding on thanks to the resources they had received from the summit a few years prior, it still wasn't enough to stop the demons—savage, mindless creatures out for blood.
This wave of demons was weaker because they were from the lower frontlines. Hence their barbaric nature. But even then, they were as strong as Level 20 Awakened. Their numbers—an army of thousands—made up for their individual weakness.
Here and there, skirmishes unfolded.
A month and a couple of weeks had passed since the Order of the Flaming Rose attacked the Vermilion Kingdom and the rest of the human domain. At first, the citizens of the Vermilion Kingdom thought it was an isolated assault and sought help from other nations—only to realize the other five kingdoms were under siege as well.
The Order of the Flaming Rose had dispatched thousands of low-ranking agents, accompanied by high-ranking members, to take over each kingdom.
Their goal? To slaughter all Awakened!
Just when the human domain thought the Order was their only threat, the sky tore open and demons of all kinds poured into the continent as well.
Power-hungry and overwhelming in number, these demons were led by higher-ranking entities referred to as Demon Generals. Their strength rivaled—or even surpassed—that of human experts.
The first to fall was the Tristan Kingdom, known for its weak military. The demon race installed a temporary ruler while their army set about conquering the rest of the human domain, aiming to unite it under one rule.
So far, no other kingdom had fallen—but it was only a matter of time.
What was most shocking was how quickly the Order of the Flaming Rose retreated once the demons appeared. Strangely, even the demons avoided engaging them. Rumors soon spread that the Order and the demons had entered into a temporary truce.
The contents of that truce were still unknown.
But whatever it was, the people knew it couldn't be good.
At the present moment, deeper into the battlefield—an area swarming with demons—two beautiful women, each wearing radiant armor, were fighting against multiple enemies at once.
Naturally, they were Akira and Aina.
Akira, the Valkyrie Princess from the non-human continent, had come in search of Nox. She danced like a ghost through the demon horde. Wherever she passed, demons were cleaved apart, and the air filled with a mist of blood.
A radiant, divine aura covered her from head to toe, emitting a blinding light that burned the skin of any demon that tried to approach her.
She was like a holy goddess descending upon the battlefield.
Akira's eyes gleamed with determination. After nearly dying at the hands of a powerful water mage back at the shores of the Vermilion Kingdom, the people of this town had nursed her back to life. The least she could do was slaughter the vile creatures threatening them.
Her gaze drifted to the distance, where Aina was effortlessly cleaving through hordes of demons as if she were on a casual stroll. Her swordsmanship was fluid and graceful—so much so that not even Erin or the Council members of Valhalla could touch the hem of her garment.
The fire in Akira's eyes blazed even brighter.
"And besides... Aunt's family is here!"
Just one look at Aina was enough to recognize her. After all, Akira's mother—the Supreme Queen of the Valkyries—had kept statues and portraits of this woman in the royal castle.
Though the time they'd spent together was short, and Akira hadn't learned much before the attack, she now funneled all her frustration into the massacre of Demonkind.
From the walls of the Cromwell Barony, Serena who had quickly returned to the wester region with Nathan, stared at the distance at towering hill and her eyes narrowed.
On the towering hill that overlooked the battlefield, two men with identical features stood with their hands clasped behind their backs, watching the fight unfold.
These twins were high demons from the second floor of the 100-Floor Demonic Tower. They served directly under the Demon Emperor himself. These were the ones referred to as...
"Brother, I say we step in now before more casualties befall our men," one of the white-haired men said in a neutral tone, not even glancing to the side.
"Yes, you're right. Who would have thought not one, but two Valkyries would be present here? All the other towns have fallen. The only reason this one is still standing is because of those two—and that old man," the other replied, eyes narrowed. "Indeed, it's not good to judge a book by its cover."
"I did hear about him, though. They call him the Mad Dog of the West. I thought it was just hype, but now... I don't think so," the first demon general said.
"I say we get rid of him once and for all."
"Yes. Let's do that."
Suddenly, just before the two could move from their spot to join the fight, a graceful, crystalline crimson figure with a pair of mesmerizing eyes and twitching antennae appeared before them.
'I don't know where Master has gone. And honestly, I can't even feel the connection between us anymore. But whether he's dead or alive somewhere out there... he gave me one simple task.
And until my last breath... I shall fulfill that task!'